Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-02-04
A STRANGE STORY OF CRIME.
A Woman Refuses to Testify Against Her
Attempted Murderess.

A strange story has just come to light
in connection with the family of James
7. Brownell, who lives near the old fair
ground, to the effect that a girl named
Corneia Sanders, who resided with them,
has been pursuing a systematic series of
attempts since last June to poison Mrs.
Brownell 1t was known by the neigh
bors that the domestic relations of the
family were not harmonious, and that
Mrs. Brownell, who hes been sickly for
some time, had talked of securing a di-
vorce. Nothing more serious was sus-
pected, however, until about week ago,
when an officer was summoned to take
Cornelia into custody on the charge of
attempting to poison Mrs. Brownell. The
girl " no is not mentally strong was in
duced to confess at that and her story
was to the effect that she had attempted
to poison her mistress several times. The
first time was on the 22d day of June
last. Mrs. Brownell asked for cup
of milk and the girl handed her
some milk with n quantity of fly poison i'll
it, Mrs. Brownell says she was at once
seized with violent pains in her stomach
and charged the girl with having put
something into the milk, but the latter de
MED it, Vomiting relieved the intended
victim so that serious results did not en-
Brownell did not take food from the girl,
but finally relaxed her vigilence and on
number of occasions suffered with IA
strange sickness
On January 10 Mrs. Brownel ordered
Cornelia to leave the house, but she re
fused and on January % the former was
again seized with terrible pains in her
stomach and sent at once for II physician,
who succeeded in counteractng the effects
of what he believed to be poison. An Otii-
Ger was at once summoned and Officer
McCuen responding, the girl was taken in
charge. She sad she wanted to kill
Mrs. BroWnell 50 that she could marry Mr..
Brownell. AT this point comes the strangest
part of the story. When Mr. Brownell
and the officer were about to start for the
jail, Mrs Brownell asked how they were
to prove the crime against the girl and
when told declared that she would not APP
pear against her, and begged them not to
take Cornela to Jail. AS this removed
the principal evidence on which a prose
Cution could be based it was decided to
allow the girl her liberty if she would at
once leave the State. She readily accept
ed the conditions and left for parts I'M
known. Under the circumstances it was
| decided to keep the matter quiet which
was done until II representative of the
| FREE PRESS obtained an inkling of the
affair
The case is a strange one and the au-
thOrties are puzzled over it. 1t il plain
! that the officer exceeded his authority in
allowing the girl to leave, and it is but
just to state that the chief of police had
no knowledge Of the matter until after
the girl was liberated. The nature of the
case however, is not so clear.
The theory is that Mrs. Brownell
took advantage of the girls infirmity by
taking emetics and inducing the girl to
confess that she might secure evidence by
means of which divorce could he pro
cured. Another and an entirely opposite
theory is that Mrs. Brownell knew That
the prosecution of the girl would impli
cate her husband and she did not care tC
have the matter go to that length. The
girl, who was formerly an inmate of the
Home, is not known to have any friends